Beginner English → Spanish reference · A1 level

English to Spanish Translation: Words, Phrases & Pronunciation

Learn practical Spanish from English with more than 300 beginner translations. This page covers the words and phrases an A1 learner needs first: greetings, introductions, everyday questions, family, food, shopping, travel, time, weather, health, numbers, colors, common verbs and basic sentence patterns.

Use the Listen links to hear the Spanish with your browser's Spanish voice. The written pronunciation is an approximate guide for English speakers, not a replacement for listening to native Spanish.

Common English to Spanish Phrases for Beginners

Start with complete phrases you can use immediately. The translations below focus on high-frequency A1 situations and keep the English meaning beside the Spanish so you can compare them quickly.

Greetings and polite expressions · Introducing yourself · Basic questions · Everyday needs and actions · Family and home · Food and restaurants · Shopping and money · Travel and directions · Time and dates · Weather and seasons · Health and emergencies · Learning and classroom

Greetings and polite expressions

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
Hello	Hola	OH-lah
Hi	Hola	OH-lah
Good morning	Buenos días	BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs
Good afternoon	Buenas tardes	BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs
Good evening	Buenas noches	BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs
Good night	Buenas noches	BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs
Goodbye	Adiós	ah-DYOHS
See you later	Hasta luego	AHS-tah LWEH-goh
See you tomorrow	Hasta mañana	AHS-tah mah-NYAH-nah
Please	Por favor	pohr fah-BOHR
Thank you	Gracias	GRAH-syahs
Thank you very much	Muchas gracias	MOO-chahs GRAH-syahs
You're welcome	De nada	deh NAH-dah
Excuse me	Disculpe	dees-KOOL-peh
Sorry	Lo siento	loh SYEHN-toh
Yes	Sí	see
No	No	noh
Maybe	Quizás	kee-SAHS
Of course	Claro	KLAH-roh

Introducing yourself

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
What is your name?	¿Cómo te llamas?	KOH-moh teh YAH-mahs
My name is...	Me llamo...	meh YAH-moh
Nice to meet you	Mucho gusto	MOO-choh GOOS-toh
Where are you from?	¿De dónde eres?	deh DOHN-deh EH-rehs
I am from...	Soy de...	soy deh
Where do you live?	¿Dónde vives?	DOHN-deh BEE-behs
I live in...	Vivo en...	BEE-boh ehn
How old are you?	¿Cuántos años tienes?	KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehs
I am ... years old	Tengo ... años	TEHN-goh ... AH-nyohs
I speak English	Hablo inglés	AH-bloh een-GLEHS
I speak a little Spanish	Hablo un poco de español	AH-bloh oon POH-koh deh ehs-pah-NYOHL
I am learning Spanish	Estoy aprendiendo español	ehs-TOY ah-prehn-DYEHN-doh ehs-pah-NYOHL
Do you speak English?	¿Hablas inglés?	AH-blahs een-GLEHS
I am a beginner	Soy principiante	soy preen-see-PYAHN-teh

Basic questions

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
How are you?	¿Cómo estás?	KOH-moh ehs-TAHS
I'm fine	Estoy bien	ehs-TOY BYEHN
What is this?	¿Qué es esto?	keh ehs EHS-toh
What is that?	¿Qué es eso?	keh ehs EH-soh
What does this mean?	¿Qué significa esto?	keh seeg-nee-FEE-kah EHS-toh
Where is it?	¿Dónde está?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH
Who is it?	¿Quién es?	kyen ehs
Why?	¿Por qué?	pohr KEH
When?	¿Cuándo?	KWAHN-doh
Which one?	¿Cuál?	kwahl
How much is it?	¿Cuánto cuesta?	KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah
Can you help me?	¿Puedes ayudarme?	PWEH-dehs ah-yoo-DAR-meh
Can you repeat that?	¿Puedes repetirlo?	PWEH-dehs reh-peh-TEER-loh
Can you speak more slowly?	¿Puedes hablar más despacio?	PWEH-dehs ah-BLAR mahs dehs-PAH-syoh
I understand	Entiendo	ehn-TYEHN-doh
I don't understand	No entiendo	noh ehn-TYEHN-doh
How do you say ... in Spanish?	¿Cómo se dice ... en español?	KOH-moh seh DEE-seh ... ehn ehs-pah-NYOHL

Everyday needs and actions

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
I want...	Quiero...	KYEH-roh
I don't want...	No quiero...	noh KYEH-roh
I need...	Necesito...	neh-seh-SEE-toh
I have...	Tengo...	TEHN-goh
I don't have...	No tengo...	noh TEHN-goh
I like it	Me gusta	meh GOOS-tah
I don't like it	No me gusta	noh meh GOOS-tah
I know	Sé	seh
I don't know	No sé	noh seh
I can	Puedo	PWEH-doh
I can't	No puedo	noh PWEH-doh
I'm ready	Estoy listo / lista	ehs-TOY LEES-toh / LEES-tah
I'm tired	Estoy cansado / cansada	ehs-TOY kahn-SAH-doh / kahn-SAH-dah
I'm busy	Estoy ocupado / ocupada	ehs-TOY oh-koo-PAH-doh / oh-koo-PAH-dah
Wait a moment	Espera un momento	ehs-PEH-rah oon moh-MEHN-toh
Let's go	Vamos	BAH-mohs

Family and home

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
This is my family	Esta es mi familia	EHS-tah ehs mee fah-MEE-lyah
This is my mother	Esta es mi madre	EHS-tah ehs mee MAH-dreh
This is my father	Este es mi padre	EHS-teh ehs mee PAH-dreh
I have one brother	Tengo un hermano	TEHN-goh oon ehr-MAH-noh
I have one sister	Tengo una hermana	TEHN-goh OO-nah ehr-MAH-nah
I have two children	Tengo dos hijos	TEHN-goh dohs EE-hohs
I am at home	Estoy en casa	ehs-TOY ehn KAH-sah
Where is the kitchen?	¿Dónde está la cocina?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah koh-SEE-nah
Where is the bedroom?	¿Dónde está el dormitorio?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl dohr-mee-TOH-ryoh
Open the door	Abre la puerta	AH-breh lah PWEHR-tah
Close the window	Cierra la ventana	SYEH-rrah lah behn-TAH-nah

Food and restaurants

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
I'm hungry	Tengo hambre	TEHN-goh AHM-breh
I'm thirsty	Tengo sed	TEHN-goh sehd
Water, please	Agua, por favor	AH-gwah pohr fah-BOHR
A coffee, please	Un café, por favor	oon kah-FEH pohr fah-BOHR
The menu, please	El menú, por favor	ehl meh-NOO pohr fah-BOHR
I would like...	Quisiera...	kee-SYEH-rah
I want breakfast	Quiero desayunar	KYEH-roh deh-sah-yoo-NAR
Without sugar	Sin azúcar	seen ah-SOO-kar
Without ice	Sin hielo	seen YEH-loh
With milk	Con leche	kohn LEH-cheh
I'm vegetarian	Soy vegetariano / vegetariana	soy beh-heh-tah-RYAH-noh / nah
It is delicious	Está delicioso	ehs-TAH deh-lee-SYOH-soh
The bill, please	La cuenta, por favor	lah KWEHN-tah pohr fah-BOHR
Where is the bathroom?	¿Dónde está el baño?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh

Shopping and money

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
How much is this?	¿Cuánto cuesta esto?	KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah EHS-toh
It is too expensive	Es demasiado caro	ehs deh-mah-SYAH-doh KAH-roh
Do you have something cheaper?	¿Tienes algo más barato?	TYEH-nehs AHL-goh mahs bah-RAH-toh
I like this one	Me gusta este	meh GOOS-tah EHS-teh
I don't like this one	No me gusta este	noh meh GOOS-tah EHS-teh
I'll take it	Me lo llevo	meh loh YEH-boh
Can I pay by card?	¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?	PWEH-doh pah-GAR kohn tar-HEH-tah
I have cash	Tengo efectivo	TEHN-goh eh-fehk-TEE-boh
I'm just looking	Solo estoy mirando	SOH-loh ehs-TOY mee-RAHN-doh
Do you have another size?	¿Tienes otra talla?	TYEH-nehs OH-trah TAH-yah
Do you have this in black?	¿Tienes esto en negro?	TYEH-nehs EHS-toh ehn NEH-groh

Travel and directions

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
Where is the airport?	¿Dónde está el aeropuerto?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh
Where is the hotel?	¿Dónde está el hotel?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl oh-TEHL
Where is the train station?	¿Dónde está la estación de tren?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah ehs-tah-SYOHN deh trehn
Where is the bus stop?	¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah pah-RAH-dah deh ow-toh-BOOS
I need a taxi	Necesito un taxi	neh-seh-SEE-toh oon TAK-see
How far is it?	¿Está lejos?	ehs-TAH LEH-hohs
Turn left	Gira a la izquierda	HEE-rah ah lah ees-KYEHR-dah
Turn right	Gira a la derecha	HEE-rah ah lah deh-REH-chah
Go straight	Sigue recto	SEE-geh REHK-toh
Here	Aquí	ah-KEE
There	Allí	ah-YEE
Near	Cerca	SEHR-kah
Far	Lejos	LEH-hohs
I'm lost	Estoy perdido / perdida	ehs-TOY pehr-DEE-doh / pehr-DEE-dah
I have a reservation	Tengo una reserva	TEHN-goh OO-nah reh-SEHR-bah

Time and dates

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
What time is it?	¿Qué hora es?	keh OH-rah ehs
It is one o'clock	Es la una	ehs lah OO-nah
It is two o'clock	Son las dos	sohn lahs dohs
Today	Hoy	oy
Tomorrow	Mañana	mah-NYAH-nah
Yesterday	Ayer	ah-YEHR
Now	Ahora	ah-OH-rah
Later	Luego	LWEH-goh
In the morning	Por la mañana	pohr lah mah-NYAH-nah
In the afternoon	Por la tarde	pohr lah TAR-deh
At night	Por la noche	pohr lah NOH-cheh
What day is it today?	¿Qué día es hoy?	keh DEE-ah ehs oy
What is the date?	¿Qué fecha es?	keh FEH-chah ehs
See you on Monday	Nos vemos el lunes	nohs BEH-mohs ehl LOO-nehs

Weather and seasons

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
What is the weather like?	¿Qué tiempo hace?	keh TYEHM-poh AH-seh
It is hot	Hace calor	AH-seh kah-LOHR
It is cold	Hace frío	AH-seh FREE-oh
It is sunny	Hace sol	AH-seh sohl
It is raining	Está lloviendo	ehs-TAH yoh-BYEHN-doh
It is windy	Hace viento	AH-seh BYEHN-toh
I am cold	Tengo frío	TEHN-goh FREE-oh
I am hot	Tengo calor	TEHN-goh kah-LOHR
In summer	En verano	ehn beh-RAH-noh
In winter	En invierno	ehn een-BYEHR-noh

Health and emergencies

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
Help!	¡Ayuda!	ah-YOO-dah
I need help	Necesito ayuda	neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah
I need a doctor	Necesito un médico	neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh
I'm sick	Estoy enfermo / enferma	ehs-TOY ehn-FEHR-moh / mah
It hurts here	Me duele aquí	meh DWEH-leh ah-KEE
Where is the pharmacy?	¿Dónde está la farmacia?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah far-MAH-syah
Where is the hospital?	¿Dónde está el hospital?	DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl ohs-pee-TAHL
Call the police	Llama a la policía	YAH-mah ah lah poh-lee-SEE-ah
Call an ambulance	Llama a una ambulancia	YAH-mah ah OO-nah ahm-boo-LAHN-syah
I have an allergy	Tengo una alergia	TEHN-goh OO-nah ah-LEHR-hyah

Learning and classroom

English	Spanish	Approx. pronunciation
What page?	¿Qué página?	keh PAH-hee-nah
How do you spell it?	¿Cómo se escribe?	KOH-moh seh ehs-KREE-beh
Can you write it?	¿Puedes escribirlo?	PWEH-dehs ehs-kree-BEER-loh
Can you say it again?	¿Puedes decirlo otra vez?	PWEH-dehs deh-SEER-loh OH-trah behs
What is the answer?	¿Cuál es la respuesta?	kwahl ehs lah rehs-PWEHS-tah
I have a question	Tengo una pregunta	TEHN-goh OO-nah preh-GOON-tah
I understand the lesson	Entiendo la lección	ehn-TYEHN-doh lah lehk-SYOHN
I need more practice	Necesito practicar más	neh-seh-SEE-toh prak-tee-KAR mahs

Essential A1 English to Spanish Vocabulary

These core words cover numbers, colors, dates, family, home, food, places, verbs, adjectives and question words. Learning them gives you the vocabulary needed to build simple beginner sentences.

Numbers · Colors · Days of the week · Months · Family · Home · Food and drink · Places · Common verbs · Common adjectives · Question words

Numbers

ZeroCero

OneUno

TwoDos

ThreeTres

FourCuatro

FiveCinco

SixSeis

SevenSiete

EightOcho

NineNueve

TenDiez

ElevenOnce

TwelveDoce

ThirteenTrece

FourteenCatorce

FifteenQuince

SixteenDieciséis

SeventeenDiecisiete

EighteenDieciocho

NineteenDiecinueve

TwentyVeinte

ThirtyTreinta

FortyCuarenta

FiftyCincuenta

One hundredCien

Colors

RedRojo

BlueAzul

GreenVerde

YellowAmarillo

BlackNegro

WhiteBlanco

GrayGris

BrownMarrón

OrangeNaranja

PinkRosa

PurpleMorado

Days of the week

MondayLunes

TuesdayMartes

WednesdayMiércoles

ThursdayJueves

FridayViernes

SaturdaySábado

SundayDomingo

Months

JanuaryEnero

FebruaryFebrero

MarchMarzo

AprilAbril

MayMayo

JuneJunio

JulyJulio

AugustAgosto

SeptemberSeptiembre

OctoberOctubre

NovemberNoviembre

DecemberDiciembre

Family

MotherMadre

FatherPadre

ParentsPadres

BrotherHermano

SisterHermana

SonHijo

DaughterHija

ChildNiño / niña

FamilyFamilia

FriendAmigo / amiga

HusbandEsposo

WifeEsposa

Home

HouseCasa

RoomHabitación

KitchenCocina

BathroomBaño

BedroomDormitorio

DoorPuerta

WindowVentana

TableMesa

ChairSilla

BedCama

KeyLlave

Food and drink

WaterAgua

CoffeeCafé

TeaTé

MilkLeche

BreadPan

CheeseQueso

RiceArroz

ChickenPollo

FishPescado

MeatCarne

FruitFruta

VegetablesVerduras

AppleManzana

BananaPlátano

BreakfastDesayuno

LunchAlmuerzo

DinnerCena

Places

SchoolEscuela

WorkTrabajo

StoreTienda

SupermarketSupermercado

RestaurantRestaurante

HotelHotel

AirportAeropuerto

StationEstación

HospitalHospital

PharmacyFarmacia

BankBanco

StreetCalle

CityCiudad

BeachPlaya

Common verbs

To beSer / estar

To haveTener

To goIr

To comeVenir

To wantQuerer

To needNecesitar

To likeGustar

To eatComer

To drinkBeber

To speakHablar

To listenEscuchar

To readLeer

To writeEscribir

To workTrabajar

To studyEstudiar

To liveVivir

To buyComprar

To payPagar

To seeVer

To knowSaber / conocer

Common adjectives

GoodBueno

BadMalo

BigGrande

SmallPequeño

NewNuevo

OldViejo

EasyFácil

DifficultDifícil

FastRápido

SlowLento

HappyFeliz

SadTriste

OpenAbierto

ClosedCerrado

CheapBarato

ExpensiveCaro

Question words

What?¿Qué?

Who?¿Quién?

Where?¿Dónde?

When?¿Cuándo?

Why?¿Por qué?

How?¿Cómo?

Which?¿Cuál?

How much?¿Cuánto?

How many?¿Cuántos?

Spanish Pronunciation for English Speakers

Spanish spelling is more regular than English spelling. These basic sound rules will help you read unfamiliar beginner words more accurately.

A, E, I, O, U

A is close to “ah,” E to “eh,” I to “ee,” O to “oh,” and U to “oo.” Spanish vowels are usually short and consistent.

The letter h is normally silent. Hola begins with the vowel sound, not an English h sound.

The Spanish j is a breathy sound similar to a strong English h. Example: jamón.

The letter ñ sounds similar to “ny” in “canyon.” Example: niño.

LL and Y

In many Spanish-speaking regions, ll and consonant y sound close to the English y in “yes.” The exact sound varies by region.

R and RR

A single r is usually tapped. The rr sound is stronger and rolled. A perfect roll is not required to start communicating.

C and Z

Before e or i, c is commonly pronounced like s in Latin America and like “th” in much of Spain. Z follows the same regional contrast.

Word stress

Words ending in a vowel, n or s usually stress the next-to-last syllable. Written accent marks show many exceptions, as in teléfono.

Browser speech synthesis depends on the Spanish voices installed on your device. The page requests a Spanish voice when one is available and keeps all written content usable even if speech synthesis is unavailable.

Basic Spanish Sentence Patterns for A1 Learners

You do not need hundreds of grammar rules to begin. These reusable patterns let you combine the vocabulary on this page into useful sentences.

I am + identitySoy + noun/adjectiveSoy estudiante. — I am a student.

I am + state/locationEstoy + adjective/placeEstoy bien. — I am fine.

I haveTengo + nounTengo una pregunta. — I have a question.

I wantQuiero + noun/verbQuiero agua. — I want water.

I needNecesito + noun/verbNecesito ayuda. — I need help.

I likeMe gusta + noun/verbMe gusta el café. — I like coffee.

I canPuedo + infinitivePuedo pagar. — I can pay.

Where is...?¿Dónde está + noun?¿Dónde está el hotel? — Where is the hotel?

There is / there areHay + nounHay un banco aquí. — There is a bank here.

English to Spanish Beginner FAQ

Short answers to common questions English speakers have when they start learning Spanish.

What should I learn first in Spanish?

Start with greetings, question words, numbers, common verbs and short phrases for everyday needs. Complete phrases are useful because they teach vocabulary and sentence structure at the same time.

How do I hear the Spanish pronunciation on this page?

Select Listen beside a Spanish word or phrase. Your browser will use an available Spanish speech-synthesis voice. Voice quality and accent depend on your device and browser.

Is this page suitable for A1 Spanish?

Yes. The vocabulary and phrases focus on beginner topics commonly needed at A1: personal information, family, home, food, shopping, travel, time, weather, health and simple communication.

Should I learn Spain Spanish or Latin American Spanish first?

The beginner core is largely shared. Some pronunciation and vocabulary differ by region, so it is reasonable to learn widely understood basics first and specialize later.

Why are some Spanish words shown with two forms?

Spanish adjectives and some nouns change for grammatical gender. Forms such as cansado / cansada show the common masculine and feminine alternatives.

How can I remember these translations faster?

Learn a small group by situation, listen to each Spanish phrase, say it aloud, then use it in a new sentence. Recalling a phrase from memory is more effective than only rereading it.